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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. track — to keep track
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bass — low music
  10. object — an aim
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rest — a break
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. track — a path
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — to handle
  22. object — a thing
  23. track — a song
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com